The Great Pokemon Sandcastle Contest
by Poliwhirl42
Summary: Ash has just come back from the Orange Islands. He and his mom and friends visit Porta Vista Beach and participate in a sandcastle contest. But will Team Rocket ruin their fun when they find out what 1st prize is? Some hints of AAML and BrockxSuzie too!
1. A Brand New Day

Things were off to a great start for Ash Ketchum and his friends. Ash, Misty, and Tracey had recently just come home from the Orange Islands, where the Orange League was held. Now Misty and Brock (who was already there because he came back from Valencia Island) were staying at the Ketchums' house for a few days, just to refresh and relax a little bit before the Ash and the gang headed off to participate in the Johto League (Tracey, who was now staying with Professor Oak as his assistant, and Gary were staying at the professor's house). They were going to spend a week in Pallet before going to New Bark Town, where Ash would register and become a qualified member of the Johto League. Ash couldn't wait to see all of the new places and Pokemon on his travels, but for now he was glad to be back home with his mom and Mr. Mime.

Suddenly, a certain "Pidgeotto" alarm clock started to beep. "Agggh, just a few more minutes," Ash mumbled, still half-asleep. He rolled over and pushed the "Snooze" button on the alarm clock.

"Pika-pi," Pikachu said as it shook the groggy boy to try and get him to wake up. "Ah, come on, Pikachu! Just five more minutes!"

Just then, Mr. Mime came through the doorway with a vacuum cleaner. "Mime, Mime, Mime!", it sang as it vacuumed Ash's bedroom carpet. When it saw that the eleven-year-old was still asleep, it decided to try something unexpected. Suddenly, Ash felt his whole face being sucked into something.

"Ahhhh! What IS this thing?!" he yelled as he tried to yank the vacuum off of his face. "All right, Mr. Mime, I'm up." He treaded over to his bedroom to get dressed.

After barely combing his unruly dark hair, Ash carefully placed his favorite Pokemon League hat on his head. Then, a voice rang through the house.

"Come on, everybody! Soup's on!" It was Brock, and boy, did Ash smell something delicious that was coming from the kitchen.

"Coming!" he yelled as he and Pikachu raced to the table. "Hi, Mom, Misty, Brock!" he said, which was followed by a chorus of "Good Mornings!".

"So, where off to today, guys?" the dark-haired boy asked his friends as Brock pushed a scrumptious-looking plate of eggs sunny side-up in front of him.

"Well," Delia Ketchum said as she reached for the newspaper on the counter, "I found something in the paper that sounds interesting. The 10th annual 'Pokemon Summer Festival Sandcastle Contest' is being held all day today at Porta Vista Beach. There's going to be food and prizes for the best sandcastles and everything. I thought maybe we could go with Professor Oak, Gary, and Tracey, too!"

"That sounds like a lot of fun, Mom!" Ash said excitedly. "What about you guys?" he said turning to Misty and Brock.

"That's sounds great, and it's a perfect way to start the week here," Misty said. "Toke-priiiii!" Togepi added as it munched on Brock's Pokemon food.

"Yeah, that means I'll get to see loads of pretty girls in their bathing suits," Brock said dreamily.

Misty rolled her eyes and sighed. "Is that _all_ you ever think about?"

"Well," Delia started as she checked her watch, "We should start getting ready right after breakfast if we want to make it there on time. I'll phone Professor Oak and see if they could come."

"Okay," the others agreed as they finished up their breakfast.


	2. Team Rocket!

"Ugh; I'm hungry," James whined as he, Jessie, and Meowth looked through the window of the Ketchum residence to find Ash and the others eating a delicious-looking breakfast.

"Me too," said Meowth. "And these bushes are startin' 'ta scratch me! Yow!"

"Would you two quit belly-aching?! We need to think up a new way to steal a Pokemon for the Boss!" Jessie retorted.

"Yeah, but if we eat some food foist, we can have enough energy 'ta think up a poifect plan 'ta capture that Pikachu!" Meowth suggested.

Jessie thought for a minute. "Well, unfortunately, we don't have any food on hand, but if those twerps get out of the house soon, we can sneak in and get our hands on any luscious leftovers!"

"Yeah!" James and Meowth agreed.

Suddenly, something caught the corner of James's eye. "Hey, what's that?" He leaned down to pick it up. "It looks like a flyer:

"All are invited to our fabulous 10th annual 'Pokemon Summer Festival Sandcastle Contest' that is being held from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Porta Vista Beach. Come show off your skills in this fun contest! 1st prize is a rare Pokemon egg! There will also be prizes, music, food, and games. Twelve whole hours of fun for everyone! Please join us!"

Jessie beamed. "Did you hear that?!"

"You mean about 'da free food?" Meowth asked.

"No," she said, "Wouldn't the boss just love to have a rare pokemon egg? It would still count as giving him a brand new pokemon."

"Yeah, I can see it now," Meowth daydreamed (and then he drifts into one of those fantasies with the boss and how the pokemon can help him relax when he wakes up, etc.)."

"Well, if we win that sandcastle contest," Jessie thought aloud.

"Yeah," James said. "Let's go there. And quickly, so we can chow down on all of the free refreshments!"

"Yeah!" agreed Meowth.

Jessie scowled. "We have just got ourselves a perfect plan to please the boss and all you can think about I the FREE FOOD?!" Suddenly, the cunning threesome heard a gargling noise- coming right from Jessie's stomach. "Well, maybe I am a little hungry," she admitted. "LET'S GO!" she shouted, and off they went.


	3. Old Friends Reunite

**Okay, time for the next chapter!**

"This place is packed! I can't find a spot anywhere," said a discouraged Professor Oak.

The whole clan of friends was unfortunately packed into the Ketchum's small van, but at least it comfortably fitted seven people. However, Professor Oak wasn't able to find a parking spot anywhere, and the group and their Pokemon were starting to get ancy.

Oh, we're never gonna get there!" Misty complained.

Ash's stomach grumbled. "I'm hungry," he whined recklessly. Pikachu agreed. "Pika!"

"Would you two stop whining? We'll get there soon- I guess," said Brock.

Gary had an idea. "Hey, how about using our Pokemon to help us?" he suggested. "Does anyone have a flying type?"

"I do. Go, Zubat!" Brock said as he let the bat-like creature out of its pokeball.

Luckily, Zubat was able to find a parking space- unfortunately, it was about three miles to walk to the beach!

"Whaaaaaa?!" Ash yelled. "We have to walk THAT LONG?!"

"Shouldn't you already be used to walking farther than this on your Pokemon journeys, honey?" Delia said in her usual cheerful voice to her frustrated son.

"Yeah, c'mon Ash," Tracey said, slinging his beach bag over his shoulder. Ash caught up to his friends, and soon, they made it to the beach!

"Yes!" Misty cheered. "We're finally here!"

"And with just enough time to go and register for the contest," added Brock, who snuck a quick look at Delia's watch.

"Wow," Ash said to himself. There were big tents everywhere; most of them had tables and food to eat, others held different contests, like hula-hooping, karaoke, and ring-tossing.

"I'm gonna do the hula-hooping contest!" Misty said excitedly. "C'mon, Togepi!"

"Hey wait, Misty!" Tracey called. "We have to register first to get in!"

The redhead blushed at her mistake. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Ha, ha."

After the whole gang got out of registration, they walked around a bit to find a good spot to set their stuff down and build their sandcastles. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.

"Brock?"

The spiky-haired boy turned around to face the familiar voice, and couldn't believe who he was looking at. The girl about his age was tall, with porcelain skin, dark eyes, and long sapphire-colored hair that reached her waist. She wore a turquoise blue bikini.

"Suzie? I didn't know you were here!"

"It's nice to see you, Brock. I come here every year. I'm actually staying in a nearby hotel overnight. Hi, Vulpix," she chuckled as the fox-like creature licked her face. Then she looked back at him. "Wow, it's been awhile since we've last seen each other."

She blushed a little; Brock had taken off his shirt and was in his swimsuit. He looked still the same, he was tanned, and had the same squinty eyes and brown spiky hair.

"Well, since you're here, maybe it's time that I should give back Vulpix," Brock said, trying not to let his disappointment show on his face.

Suzie looked a little hesitant. "Uh, well…-"

"-Hey guys!" Gary interrupted. "We found a spot over here!"

As they walked to where Professor Oak and the others were, Suzie decided to change the subject. "So, uh, Brock…I already registered, but I was wondering if you were already building a sandcastle with someone." She felt a little embarrassed asking him; she secretly hoped that he didn't have a partner to build a sandcastle with yet.

Brock, however, was oblivious. "No, I wasn't working with anyone except for my Pokemon. Why?"

"Er-eh," the teenage girl stuttered. "Because I was wondering if you'd like to work with me on one."

Brock was ecstatic. He would've given anything to work with Suzie. "Of course! I would love to work with you!"

"All right, then, let's get to work!" a determined Suzie said.


	4. Hula Hoops

**(A/N- Okay, this is a really short chapter, but it's just about Misty and the hula contest. The next chapter will be longer, I promise!)**

"All right, Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charizard, I choose you!" Ash shouted. They all came out of their pokeballs.

Ash grinned determinedly. "So, how's about being my models for the sandcastle contest?" he asked everyone.

"Pika!" Pikachu definitely agreed, so did Squirtle and Bulbasaur, and Charizard (who was finally obeying Ash now that they came back from the Orange Islands). Squirtle even made a funny modeling pose.

Ash, Brock, Suzie, Tracey, and Gary soon got to work on their sandcastle creations; meanwhile, Delia and Professor Oak set up the beach chairs and umbrellas. Misty, however, wandered around a little looking for the tent that was holding the hula hoop contest.

Suddenly, the host came up to her and said, "Would you like to join the hula hoop contest, miss?"

"Um, sure," she said a little nervously, and took the sparkly plastic hoop. She was participating with 5 other contestants.

The host (who's name was Tom) walked over to a speaker and soon the song "I Got You (I Feel Good)" blasted from the stereo. "Okay, contestants, the rules are if you drop your hoop, you are disqualified! Okay, on your mark, get set, go!"

Misty tried to act confident. _I can do this_, she thought to herself. _Well, here goes!_ She placed her hula hoop around her waist and moved her hips to the music. _Wow, this isn't so bad_, she thought, and was soon determined to win the contest.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket lurked nearby, hiding sneakily in the bushes. They were observing all the phenomenon and were up to no good…

**(A/N- Cliffy [hopefully not too cheesy]! Stay tuned to find out what Team rocket has in store for everyone to get that prize!)**


	5. First Prize

Jessie peeked out of the tall grass that she, James, and Meowth. "Well, well, well, look what we have here. The redhead is doing the hula!"

"Do ya see that Pokemon egg yet, Jess?" Meowth asked demandingly, completely ignoring Jessie's observation.

"No, and stop asking me that every five seconds!" the frustrated girl yelled.

"But Jessie," James said, looking into his binoculars, "That was one of the reasons we came here; if we keep wasting time, we won't be able to swipe that egg and give it to the boss." He set down the binoculars. "And we obviously have a bad reputation with him."

"Well," Meowth chimed in, "The other reason we came here was 'ta eat somethin', and I'm starvin'! Let's go!"

"ALL RIGHT YOU TWO!" Jessie shouted angrily, and sighed. There were never going to learn how to stop complaining. "C'mon, follow m-" The violet-haired 20-year-old stopped in her tracks and gasped. They were right in front of the table that had all of the awards on it for the sandcastle contest, and right in the middle was first prize- a rare Pokemon egg!

"There it is! There it is!" James and Meowth exclaimed goofily, while jumping up and down.

With happy tears almost in her eyes (A/N- Dramatic!), Jessie smiled at the shiny bluish-colored egg protected by a glass container. "Is it really this easy?" she said to herself.

"Well…are we gonna swipe that precious prize, or not?"

"Yes! Now keep quiet." Jessie looked around to make sure that no one was nearby (apparently the people that were running the prize tent had gone off to see the hula hoop contest); then, with shaking gloved hands, she carefully and gently lifted the glass container that was holding the egg.

~*~

"Wow; this is harder than I thought!" Ash grumbled as the sand that was supposed to be Bulbasaur's feet crumbled down to the ground.

"You need to use more water, Ash. That what holds the sculpture together," Tracey coached, not looking away from his sculpture, which was supposed to be modeled after his Scyther.

"Okay," the Pokemon trainer replied. He grabbed a red pail to get more water.

"How about a Vulpix and a Ninetails standing together?" Suzie suggested as an idea for her and Brock's sandcastle.

"Yeah, that sounds great," Brock said, not taking his eyes off of the famous breeder. She looked so vibrant and enthusiastic as she started working on the Ninetails's paws and legs. Brock decided to start making the Vulpix.

Ash came back from getting the water and poured it over the sand. "That's not gonna be enough. Hey Squirtle, can you spray some more water over here to make the sand wetter?"

"Squirtle, Squirtle!" Squirtle chirped as it toddled over to the spot Ash was working on.

"Thanks," Ash said determinedly. "Okay, let's win this contest!"

**(A/N- Misty comes next!)**


	6. Misty's Battle

Two contestants were out of the hula competition; there was four left, including Misty. The red-haired girl took a deep breath and resumed hula-ing. She had a steady movement with her hips, moving them in time with the song that was playing (which was "Surfin' U.S.A."); her feet were planted sturdily in the ground. _Wow_, she thought, _I might actually win this_. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out in the blue skies. Everyone turned to see what the noise was; as a result, the contestants that were hula-hooping dropped the plastic hoops involuntarily.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

_Oh, no_. Misty grimaced. Team Rocket! Of all places and of all times, did they ALWAYS have to ruin everyone's fun?!

_What do they want this time?_ Misty wondered, annoyed. _Maybe Ash's Pikachu? Well, I won't let _that _happen!_

When the evil trio finished their motto, the infamous "Meowth" balloon floated haughtily to the sandy ground, crashing a few people's sandcastles, including Ash's.

Misty gasped. "Oh, no! You guys are gonna pay for that! What do want, anyway?"

Ash held Pikachu close. "You're not getting my Pikachu, so get lost!" he said angrily.

Jessie smirked. "We don't want your Pikachu. We want payback for not getting that Pokemon egg!"

The man who was running the prize stand spoke up. "They thought they could steal the first prize, which is a rare Pokemon egg," he explained, "But luckily it has sensors on it so no one steals it, which they attempted!"

Jessie and James hopped out of the balloon and took out their pokeballs. "If you don't want to give us that egg," she said, "Then I challenge you to a Pokemon battle! Arbok, go!"

James threw his pokeball into the air, too. "Go, Weezing! Two-on-two!"

"I'll battle you!" Misty declared. "Okay, Staryu, I choose y-"

"Toge-priiiiiiii!" Togepi cut it as it walked over to Misty.

"Huh? Togepi, you wanna battle?" Misty asked, a little puzzled. She used Togepi rarely, mainly because she was training to become a water Pokemon master. "Okay, then, Togepi, go!" She pointed towards Team Rocket.

Ash stepped forward, too. "I'm in with Misty. Okay, Pikachu, go get 'em!"

"Arbok, use Poison sting!" Jessie ordered.

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded the electric mouse.

"Pika-chuuuuuu!" A bright bolt of electricity zapped Jessie and James. However, they did not go "blasting off again" just yet.

"Huh?!" Ash cried out in confusion.

"We're…not…" Jessie started, a little dazed from the shock. "Giving up…just yet," James finished for her.

The blue-haired TR member jumped to his feet and had a determined expression on his face. "Okay, Weezing," he said in his usual British-sounding accent, "Smokescreen now!"

"Wee-ziiiiinggggg," Weezing said as its mouth gave off toxic smoke that surrounded the swarm of beach-goers.

"Oh, no, you don't," Misty said. "Togepi, use…"

This was bad. The red-haired trainer was blanking out in all of the madness. Since she rarely used the egg-like creature in Pokemon battles, she forgot for a few moments what moves it used.

Suddenly, Togepi, on its own, moved its little hands back and forth. Its hands glowed a bluish color. "Toge-priiiiiiiii!" it chirped happily, apparently oblivious to the pandemonium that was going on around it.

Misty now remembered. "Use metronome!"

All of a sudden, a giant explosion occurred, knocking more people's sandcastles down (fortunately, Gary's, Tracey's and Suzie and Brock's sandcastles were unscathed). Team Rocket and the "Meowth" balloon launched off into the sky.

"It looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" The trio said with melancholy in their voices.

"Misty, you did it!" Ash exclaimed, and pulled Misty in for a hug.

The water Pokemon trainer blushed excitedly. _Is Ash actually hugging me? I can't believe it!_

_Wow...I'm hugging Misty..._Ash thought. A strange feeling came over him that he had never felt before.

"Thanks," Misty said. "You did great, too."

When they finally broke apart, the man who was running the prize station came up to the two trainers.

"Thanks to you two, our first prize is safe and sound," he said, gesturing to the egg, which was safely protected in the glass container. "You deserve these." He handed them two golden trophies. Both of them had different Pokemon built on top of the trophy. Misty had a golden Poliwhirl **(A/N- I just **_**had**_** to add a Poliwhirl into my story- Lol!)**.

"Wow, a Poliwhirl," she gushed. "Someday, my Poliwag will evolve into one. It's so cute! What did you get, Ash?"

The Pokemon trainer held out his trophy proudly. "Mine's a golden Aerodactyl. That's pretty special, huh, Mist?"

"Yeah," she replied, blushing a little. She loved it when Ash called her "Mist". It made her feel like he really thought of her as one of his best friends.

Brock and the others walked up and congratulated Misty and Ash for an awesome battle **(A/N- I know Ash didn't really do anything, but oh, well…)**. The red-haired girl glanced over to the hula hoop tent. It was a disaster- the tent had broken down and the music had stopped as a cause of the explosion.

"Well," she said to herself, "I didn't win that hula contest, but at least I won something much more important." She smiled and looked at her Poliwhirl trophy once more.

**(A/N- Next chapter will be up soon.)**


End file.
